The First Step is the Hardest
by rhymenocerous
Summary: It's that time of year. And Lucy is at that age where she's taking the first step toward growing up. A DLL short story. Rated K
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So, here's a little something new for you all. It came to me when I heard the announcement that they had cast a slightly older actress to play Lucy this year and it got me thinking about how old Lucy might actually be now. The next day I was out shopping and I was stuck in a line of parents and kids getting ready to go back to school… and as they say, inspiration struck.**

**This isn't going to be a long story – just a couple of chapters, really. But I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"Hey, Lindsay! Did you ever hear back from Adam about the…" Jo Danville broke off, grimacing when she noticed that her colleague was on the phone. "Sorry," she mouthed, entering the office and sliding into the seat behind her cluttered desk. Lindsay merely smiled and nodded before turning her full attention back to her conversation.

"Well, just get her the pink ones then," she said. "No, I know, okay?" She let out an exasperated sigh. "Yes, I know she already has lots of pink!" Closing her eyes, Lindsay sighed again, pinching the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger. Clearly this conversation had either been going on for some time, or it was not the first time she and – well, whoever was on the other end of the line – had had this exact conversation. "Well honestly! What is the point of getting her the green ones if you know she'll never wear them?" Lindsay took a deep breath before speaking again. Her tone was calm and cool, the epitome of reason. "Just get her the pink for now and when she grows out of them – which will probably be in about a month at the rate she's going – we'll talk about other options then, okay? Thank you… yes, I know…" A small smile touched the corners of her lips. "I love you too. See you later."

She ended the call, tossing her phone onto her desk and scrubbing her hands over her face before looking up and giving Jo a slightly frazzled smile.

"Your better half?" Jo guessed, pointing to the phone on Lindsay's desk.

Lindsay raised an eyebrow and rested her elbows on the desk, cupping her chin in her palm. "Oh, is that what we're calling him now?" she asked with a roll of her eyes. "I could have sworn we were calling him my impossibly infuriating and stubborn half."

Jo chuckled. Although Lindsay's words were laced with frustration, her tone was full of affection for the man she shared her life with. "Uh oh. Trouble in paradise?"

Lindsay shook her head. "No. Not really," she said. "Lucy is just going through this pink phase right now – you know, if it isn't pink, she wants nothing to do with it – and poor Danny… I think he feels like his whole world is an explosion of pink. And he's desperately trying to inject some other colour into her life. I keep telling him he's fighting a losing battle; she'll grow out of it eventually, but…" she smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "It's weird. He didn't have nearly as much trouble dealing with her purple phase. Or the two months she insisted that she was a real princess. He didn't bat an eyelash then, just started calling her _your majesty_."

"So what's different now?" Jo asked.

Lindsay raised her hand to her mouth, gnawing thoughtfully on her fingernail until she realized what she was doing and clasped her hands together in front of her on her desk.

"Have you looked at a calendar recently?" she asked.

Jo frowned. "Um… yeah. It's August 31."

"That's right. And Monday is Labour Day. And that means that Tuesday is…" she prompted.

Her brow furrowed in confusion, Jo glanced to the small calendar on her desk. _Tuesday. The day after Labour Day_. What was happening on that day? She wracked her brains.

Suddenly it hit her. Hadn't her own daughter Ellie been lamenting the start of September? Dreading the end to her summer of blessed freedom and the start of another year of…

"Lord. Is Lucy old enough to go to school?" Jo asked.

A sad smile touched the corners of Lindsay's lips and she nodded her head. "She turned five in the spring, so my baby girl is going to Kindergarten."

Jo could see the conflict of emotions already swirling in Lindsay's eyes. She recognized the pride mingled with sadness on the young mother's face – she'd felt the same when first Tyler then Ellie had embarked on their respective first days at school.

"It's such an exciting time," Jo mused. "But also one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life; leaving my babies on the first day of school."

"I'm trying not to think about it, to be honest," Lindsay replied, a tightly controlled smile on her face. "It's just too hard. It feels like only yesterday that Danny and I brought her home from the hospital. She was so tiny and helpless and she needed us for everything. And now? Now she's going to school! And I just don't know where the time went."

Jo smiled sympathetically. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Lindsay. But that feeling never goes away," she sighed. "They keep growing up, no matter what you do. And eventually they're off to college. Or getting married. Or having babies of their own…"

Lindsay's eyes widened. "Oh my God. Is Tyler…?"

Jo laughed. "Not yet, thank God. He's starting his second year of college, but the getting married and having babies part – you can't start calling me Grandma Jo just yet." She gestured toward Lindsay's discarded cell phone. "So… that phone call earlier… Danny is taking Lucy shopping for school?"

Lindsay nodded. "Yeah."

Jo raised her eyebrows. "Well, you've got more balls than I gave you credit for," she teased. "I never would have let Russ take Tyler shopping. He could never say no to that boy and would come home with half the store!"

Laughing, Lindsay leaned back in her chair. "Well, Danny has a list that he's supposed to stick to," she said. "And he knows that deviating from that list could be seen as grounds for sleeping on the couch for the foreseeable future."

"So this list… is it just the regular supplies – backpack, pencil case, the usual – or is he doing the whole kit and caboodle?"

Lindsay sighed. "Well, right now they're in Macy's looking for clothes for school."

Jo bit her lip, but it was useless. She couldn't contain the laughter that bubbled from deep inside.

"What?" Lindsay asked, her expression one of amusement. "What's funny?"

"I'm just… I'm sorry, Lindsay," Jo said, wiping the tears of mirth from her eyes. "I just had this mental picture of Danny Messer standing in the _Little Miss_ section of the store and I just… I can't…" She dissolved into laughter once again. "I can just see him in his leather jacket looking all tough, surrounded by a sea of little pink dresses… It's just too ridiculous! He's such a… a guy!"

A smile split Lindsay's face and she too began to laugh. "I know," she agreed. "I kind of wish I could be there, hiding in the clothing racks with my camera. But from our conversation, he sounds a little frazzled. Lucy's not exactly picky about her clothes, but she can be a handful and it sounded like he wanted to get out of there as soon as possible."

"Well, he may feel that way now, but when she's off on her first day of school wearing the little outfit she picked out with her Daddy, I'm sure he'll feel differently."

A smile of fondness crossed Lindsay's features. "Oh I know he will," Lindsay agreed. "He's just having trouble dealing with the fact that she's growing up. If he had his way, she'd be three years old forever."

"And what about you?" Jo asked. "How are you feeling about this new stage in Lucy's life?"

Lindsay was thoughtful for a moment. "I'm… okay. A little sad," she conceded. "It's funny, Danny ended up taking her shopping today because when we checked our schedules for next week, we saw that he was on for first thing Tuesday morning. He was so upset that he was going to miss her first day. So we decided that he'd have this special time with her, taking her shopping and I'd be the one to take her to school. At the time, I thought he was getting the raw end of the deal, but now… now I'm not so sure."

Seeing the misty look in her young colleague's eyes, Jo stood, rounding the desks and dropping into Danny's empty chair. She put her arm around Lindsay's shoulders, giving her a reassuring squeeze.

"It's hard, Lindsay. I know it is," Jo sympathized. "But you'll look back on that day and be glad that you were there. There's really nothing like witnessing your baby take those first steps toward growing up."

Taking in a steadying breath, Lindsay turned and smiled at Jo. "Thanks, Jo," she said, dabbing at her eyes with Jo's offered Kleenex. She blew her nose and tossed the tissue into the trash. "You know, it's really nice to have someone to talk to… someone who's been there. I haven't really had that here at work before."

Jo smiled. "Well, it's nice to have someone who's willing to listen to me when I give advice. Lord knows my kids started tuning me out years ago," she said with a wink. "You guys are going to be fine. Every parent goes through this, Lindsay. And for what it's worth, I think that you and Danny have done a great job with Lucy. She's such a little sweetheart; she's the best parts of both of you. She's going to make you both so proud."

"Oh God. You're going to make me cry again!" Lindsay moaned.

Jo smiled and handed her another tissue. As Lindsay was wiping at her eyes, her phone began to vibrate on her desk. Glancing down at the caller ID, she sighed. "Guess who?" she asked. She answered the call, pressing the phone to her ear. "Hey, babe. What's up?"

As Lindsay listened to her husband on the other end of the line, Jo stood, going back to her desk to collect her things before heading back into the lab to finish her work. Pausing in the doorway, she glanced over her shoulder at Lindsay, who met her gaze, mouthing a silent _thank you_.

Jo winked. "Anytime," she replied quietly before pushing her way back out into the lab's bustling hallway.

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**So, Chapter 1 is in the books. I'd love to know what you guys thought! **

**I was originally going to have Lindsay having this conversation with someone else – not really sure who. But I was re-watching the episode with Jo's daughter Ellie and it hit me that she would be the perfect person for Lindsay to talk to about her feelings. She's been there and would an understanding and sympathetic person for Lindsay to confide in.**

**Anyway, enough from me. On to more writing :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Didn't I tell you I was inspired? Well if you doubted, here's your proof! Another chapter up for this new story already!**

**Thanks to those who left a review for Chapter 1. I'm so glad you liked it and that Lindsay and Jo's conversation rang true. Cheers to _LoveShipper, dannylindsayfan, mckenzie_ and _laurzz_ for your encouraging comments!**

**So, chapter 2… yeah. Kind of got away from me. I was writing. And then I was writing some more. And then some more. Anyway, it's Danny's turn to talk to someone about some of his feelings about Lucy going to school. Plus, we get to see some of Danny as Daddy. And for me, that's just… *sigh***

**Anyway. I'll shut up now and let you get on with things. **

**Enjoy!**

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Mac Taylor was sitting at his desk flipping through the file of the team's latest case when out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of pink racing down the hallway toward his office.

"Lucy! Get back here _right now_!" Danny Messer bellowed, his disembodied voice reverberating through the glass-walled hall. Seconds later the man himself appeared from around the corner, jogging after his daughter. She giggled, rounding Mac's office door and diving under the long leather couch across from his desk.

Mac sat, slightly stunned with a bemused expression on his face as Danny reached his doorway. "She in here?" he asked, his voice tense and his expression one of utter frustration. Here was a father nearing the end of his rope.

Mac nodded, indicating the couch. Danny rolled his eyes, letting out a heavy sigh and dropping the large shopping bag he'd been carrying on the floor. "Lucy? Come out please," he said.

"Daddy, you have to _find_ me," Lucy implored with a note of impatience. Clearly, she thought that her father's role in the game she was playing was implied.

"Lucy," Danny repeated, a warning tone creeping into his voice. "Get out here. _Now_."

"But Daddy…" Lucy whined.

"Now!"

A pout on her usually cherubic face, Lucy crawled out from her hiding place, getting to her feet and regarding her father with narrowed eyes and her hands on her hips.

"Do not give me that look young lady," Danny warned. He closed his eyes momentarily, scrubbing his hands over his face before taking a deep, calming breath. When he opened his eyes, Mac could see that the impatience and frustration had vanished and he just looked worn out. He crouched down, holding his arms out to his little girl. "C'mere, Luce."

The pout remained, but Lucy did as she was told, shuffling over to her father and letting him draw her into his arms.

"Luce, we talked about this at the store," Danny began, his tone loving but firm. "You can't run away from me when we're in a busy place, okay? It's not safe and it scares me when I don't know where you are."

Lucy lowered her gaze to the ground, scuffing her little pink sneaker against the polished surface of the floor. "But I just wanted to play hide and seek," she mumbled sullenly.

"I know ya did," Danny replied. "But in a big store, you could get lost or… or…" He broke off, biting his lip. Mac knew that it wasn't that Danny _couldn't_ think of all the 'what ifs'. It was that he knew them all too well and didn't even want to contemplate something so awful befalling his beloved Lucy.

Mac sat silently, watching the scene unfold before him. It always amazed him to see how far Danny had come. He remembered that day – it didn't seem all that long ago, really – that he had sat on the very couch under which his daughter had hidden only moments earlier, confessing his deepest fears about the possibility of failing as a father and husband. Mac had known back then – and had seen the evidence countless times during Lucy's life – that he would be a great father. And Lindsay was a fantastic mother, the two of them complimenting and supporting one another perfectly as they worked together to raise their daughter.

Like any child her age, Lucy was lively - full of energy and curiosity - which could be trying at times, as evidenced by Danny's earlier frustration. Now, Mac was completely biased, of course. But as far as he was concerned, she was an intelligent and well-rounded little girl. Usually very respectful and well-mannered, although there were times – like today – when her excitement got the better of her. He smiled as Lucy continued to plead her case to her father.

"But this isn't a store," Lucy argued. "It's just your work!"

"I know. But it could still be dangerous, honey. Sometimes people are in a big hurry here and they're not always looking where they're going, or they're carrying stuff that could hurt you. And we don't want that, do we?"

Lucy shook her head. "No."

"No," Danny affirmed. He hooked his finger under Lucy's chin, tilting her face up so she was looking at him. "So when I tell you to stay where I can see you, or not to run away from me, it's not cause I'm being mean or I don't want you to have any fun. It's because I want to make sure that you're safe, okay?"

Lucy nodded. "Okay," she said quietly. "I'm sorry."

"I know you are, sweetie. Thank you for apologizing." A crooked smile crossed Danny's face before he pursed his lips. Lucy responded by throwing her arms around his neck and planting a noisy smacker of a kiss to his lips.

"I love you, Daddy."

"Love you too, Luce," Danny replied. He stood, brushing off his knees and offering Mac an apologetic smile. "Hey Mac. Sorry to bust in on you like this. We just came to pick up Linds before we head home."

"And? Daddy, don't forget!" Lucy whispered, tugging on the leg of Danny's jeans. "You promised!"

"Right. Sorry, kiddo," Danny said, smiling down at his daughter and tugging affectionately on one of her pigtails. "And Lucy wanted to show you all the cool new stuff she got."

Mac couldn't help but smile genuinely at the barely concealed excitement he could see in Lucy's face as she reached for the shopping bag Danny had brought in.

"Well, I think I can make time for that," he said, closing the file on his desk and pushing it aside for the time being. "But Lucy, aren't you forgetting something?"

Lucy looked up from where she was pawing through the bag and Mac leaned forward, his arms spread wide. Giggling, Lucy launched herself at him, jumping up into his arms and hugging him tightly as he sat back in his chair.

"Uncle Mac!" she shouted, "Do you have candy for me?"

"Lucy!" Danny sighed in exasperation. "Come on! That's not how we say hello to people! Where are your manners?"

Lucy turned back to Mac, her expression serious. "Miriam put them in the garbage," she informed her godfather solemnly.

"Miriam?" Mac turned a questioning gaze to Danny, who rolled his eyes.

"One of her friends from daycare," Danny muttered in explanation before fixing his daughter with a look that clearly meant business. "And you; you better get those manners out of the garbage right now, Luce. Or we're gonna go home and you're not gonna be able to show Uncle Mac all your stuff and he is definitely _not_ going to give you any candy."

Lucy looked longingly at her bag of newly acquired paraphernalia, then to the drawer in Mac's desk where she knew he kept a few candies especially for her. Then her big blue eyes were fixed on Mac. "Hi Uncle Mac," she said, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"Hey Lucy," Mac smiled, shifting so that she was settled comfortably on his lap. "It sounds like you and your Daddy have been busy. Did you have a good day?"

"Uh huh," she nodded enthusiastically. "First Daddy and me ate hotdogs in the park, and then we fed the ducks…" Lucy chattered, ticking off their activities on her tiny fingers as she went. "Then we goed…"

"Then we _went_," Danny corrected from where he was leaning on the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest and an amused smile on his face.

"Oh yeah," Lucy giggled, unfazed by her father's interruption. "Then we went to the store and we gotted -" Mac glanced up at Danny who just shrugged his shoulders helplessly at his daughter's grammar, but chose not to comment this time. "- all my things for school!"

"Oh my goodness. That sounds like quite a day!" Mac gushed.

"Yeah! And know what, Uncle Mac? Know what?"

"What?"

"I'm going to school! Did you know? Cause I'm a big girl now!"

Mac smiled. He could remember the first time he'd held her as a baby. How small and fragile she'd felt in his arms when Danny and Lindsay had bestowed upon him the most precious gift he'd ever received in his life; the tremendous honour of godfather to their beautiful baby girl. But as he looked at Lucy – her hair no longer blonde but now a light brownish hue; her eyes full of curiosity and all the wisdom a five year old could possess – he realized that she was indeed growing up and it caused an ache to form in the pit of his stomach. He glanced up at Danny and could see that same ache – only a thousand times more intense – written all over the younger man's face.

Mac looked back at Lucy and gave her nose an affectionate tweak. "You sure are a big girl, Lucy. Very grown up!"

Lucy grinned at him, then turned to her father. "Now can I have a candy?"

Danny dropped heavily down onto the couch and let out a weary chuckle. "If Uncle Mac says it okay."

"Please can I?" Lucy implored her godfather, her little hands clasped tightly together in a pleading gesture. "Please?"

"Well, since you asked so nicely," Mac conceded with a smile, pulling open his desk drawer to reveal an assortment of luridly coloured suckers. "What'll it be today? How about a purple sucker? You like purple, right?"

"I want a pink one," Lucy demanded. Danny cleared his throat noisily from across the room. "Please," she amended quickly.

"A pink one, huh?" Mac said, shuffling through the suckers. "I don't know if I have a pink one." He could see Lucy's lower lip begin to jut out and he hastily snatched a red sucker from the drawer. "How about this one? It's, um…" He looked up at Danny for help.

"It's _royal_ pink," Danny said, an explanation at the ready. Apparently it was not the first time he'd had to think of a suitable exception to Lucy's new all-pink rule and Mac shot him a grateful smile as she accepted the sucker and tore the wrapping off without a word of complaint.

"Thank you!" she chirped happily before she stuck the candy in her mouth, twirling the stick between her fingers. "Mmm! It's yummy!"

She hopped off of Mac's lap, once again delving into the shopping bag. "Come on, Uncle Mac. I want to show you!" she said between slurps of her sucker. Mac smiled and got to his feet, moving to sit on the couch beside Danny while Lucy dragged her bag over to the coffee table. She began to pull things out of the bag, excitedly describing each item before laying them on the table for Mac to admire.

"That's a lot of pink," Mac muttered to Danny as Lucy pulled out yet another little pink top.

"Don't even start," Danny sighed, resting his elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands. "You seriously do not want to go there with me right now."

Mac chuckled, patting Danny on the back. "You look a little beat, Danny," he said. "If you wanna go grab a coffee or take a break… Lucy and I will be fine."

Danny contemplated Mac's offer, but ultimately shook his head. "Nah. I'm fine," he said. "Besides, if I have coffee now, I'll never sleep tonight." He groaned and put his head in his hands. "God, I sound like my father."

"Happens to the best of us," Mac said, turning his attention back to Lucy who was enthusiastically showing off her new backpack.

"See? This one is Cinderella. And that's Snow White," she said, pointing to the animated Princesses adorning her pack. "And that's Sleeping Beauty."

"Wow. Very nice, Lucy," Mac praised. Lucy grinned and turned her attention back to her things. Mac glanced at Danny out of the corner of his eye and could see that although there was a slight smile on his face, his eyes were a little bit sad. "You okay?" he asked.

Danny let out a shaky chuckle, glancing at Mac before turning his eyes back on his daughter. He nodded his head. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm alright," he said, his tone gruff; he cleared his throat. "It's just… it seems real now, you know? Up until today I could convince myself that it wasn't really happening. That she was still my baby girl. But, uh…" He grimaced, running his hands over his face before coughing to clear his throat once more. "I just wish I had more time, you know? I mean, I never thought that five years could go by so fast. And yet here we are."

"Daddy?" Lucy asked, holding up a book, heedless of her father's torrent of emotions.

Danny sniffed and blinked, putting the smile back on his face. "Yeah, honey?"

"What's this word?" she asked, rounding the table to stand between Danny's knees. He wrapped his arms around her tummy and rested his chin on her shoulder, glancing at the book she held in front of her.

"Which word?"

"That one," she pointed.

"Well, let's sound it out," Danny suggested. "That's an 'S'. What does an 'S' sound like?"

Lucy scrunched up her face in concentration. "Ssssssss!"

"Nice. Okay, now this one's tough. It's a 'C' and an 'H'. And in this word they sound a little different. They sound like a 'K'. D'you remember what 'K' sounds like?"

"Kah!" Lucy shouted.

"You're right! Good job!" Danny praised.

"And the 'O's sound like 'oooo'!" Lucy informed him excitedly.

"Oh my gosh. You are so smart. How'd you get so smart?" Danny teased.

"Mommy teached me," Lucy replied, giggling when Danny began to tickle her.

"Oh, Mommy taught you, did she? Just Mommy?"

"And Daddy too!" Lucy howled with laughter.

"That's right, 'And Daddy too'," Danny grumbled good-naturedly. He kissed her cheek before bringing her attention back to her book. "Okay, Luce. Last one. That's an 'L'. What does it sound like?"

Lucy stared contemplatively at her book for a moment, her mouth moving silently as she tried to remember. "Lah," she declared eventually.

"Okay. Now let's put 'em together," Danny urged patiently. "Start with the 'S'…"

"Sss…kah… oooo… lah," Lucy muttered quietly to herself. "Sss-kah-ooo-lah. Sss-koo-lah." Suddenly, something clicked and she turned to Danny with wide, excited eyes. "School! It's school, Daddy! It's school!"

"That's right! Great job, sweetheart!"

Lucy settled back into her former position, leaning back against her father's chest while he looked on over her shoulder. "What's the rest of it say?"

"It says," Danny began, moving his finger beneath the words as he read them, "_Little Critter Goes to School_."

"Just like me?" Lucy asked.

"Just like you, Luce."

"Can we read it at bedtime?"

"That is a great idea," Danny said, pressing a tender kiss to her temple. "Now, please clean up your stuff, then we'll go find Mommy and go home for dinner, okay?"

"What are we having?" a voice asked from the doorway. Lucy's little face lit up.

"Mommy!" she cried, scrambling over to Lindsay who had crouched down to pull her into a tight hug. "Mommy! Look! Look what me and Daddy got!"

"Wow," Lindsay said, surveying the sea of pink accessories that now littered Mac's coffee table and surrounding floor. She cast her eyes to her husband who just shrugged helplessly.

"You said to get her the pink," he muttered.

Mac saw the slow smile spread across Lindsay's face. "I did indeed," she acquiesced. She rubbed her nose affectionately against Lucy's. "Okay, Missy. Time to clean up. I'm sure Uncle Mac would like his office back."

"But, Mommy!"

"No buts, Lucy," Lindsay said firmly. "You can show me everything when we get home, okay?"

Lucy nodded her head, pigtails bobbing. "Kay." She skipped back around Mac's coffee table, beginning to grab her clothes and the like, stuffing them haphazardly back into the shopping bag. Lindsay shook her head, opening her mouth to chastise her daughter, but deciding against it. Instead she perched on the arm of the couch beside her husband and placed her hand on the back of his neck, running her fingers lovingly through the short hairs at his nape.

"Hi honey," she smiled when Danny turned to look up at her.

"Hey. How was your day?"

Lindsay shrugged. "Busy. Some idiot kept calling me asking questions about back to school stuff."

Danny grinned sheepishly. "I didn't want to get it wrong," he admitted. "Going in that store was bad enough the first time. I did _not_ want to have to go back to return something."

Lindsay smiled and rubbed his shoulders. "You did good, baby," she said, leaning down and pressing a kiss to the crown of his head. "Did you guys have fun?"

Danny shrugged. "Yeah. We had a pretty good time," he said. "Unless of course you count the two heart attacks I had this afternoon when she decided to play hide and seek in the clothing racks. That was not cool. Or the tantrum that erupted when I tried to get something not quite so pink into her wardrobe."

Mac smiled and clapped Danny on the shoulder. "Well, it looks like you both managed to survive," he pointed out. Danny just shook his head and chuckled dryly. Lindsay sighed, clearly she'd already heard this story at least once today.

"Okay Mommy!" Lucy declared, dragging her overloaded shopping bag over to Lindsay. "All done! Can we have dinner now?"

"I think so," Lindsay said, pushing herself to her feet. "You ready, Daddy?"

"Yup," Danny replied as he stood. "Let's go."

Lucy began to skip out of the office, but paused in the doorway to wait for her parents. A small victorious smile broke out on Danny's face and he affectionately stroked her hair.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Lindsay urged, nodding in Mac's direction.

"Bye-bye Uncle Mac!" Lucy crowed, running over to embrace him quickly before skipping back to her parents. Each of them took one of her small hands in theirs, while Danny hefted Lucy's creatively-packed shopping bag in the other.

"See ya later, Mac," Danny said. "Thanks."

"Anytime, Danny. And Lucy… Good luck, sweetie. Have fun at school!"

"I will!" Lucy declared with confidence. Lindsay waved goodbye, then the small family began walking toward the elevator. Lucy giggled with glee as her parents swung her out in front of them with every step. Mac smiled to himself, still hearing Lucy's excited chatter in the hall.

"How come the sky is blue?" she asked. "Do hippos breathe under water like fish? Can I press the button for the elevator?"

Mac savoured the sound of her laughter and her inquisitive questions. He knew that school for Lucy meant that her visits would be a little less frequent at the lab, and for that he was sad. But then again, her excitement was contagious and he found himself looking forward to hearing all of her stories; the new friends she would make, the exciting things she would learn. She was growing up and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it. All they could do was sit back and watch with rapt attention as she grew in knowledge and experience.

He chuckled to himself as he heard a final "Bye Uncle Mac!" bellowed from the end of the hall, followed by scolding mutterings from her parents. Pulling his long-forgotten file toward him, Mac flipped it open. Family time was over; it was time to get back to work.

* * *

**So, another chapter done. Yay! More to come. I've got about 2 more chapters after this one planned. But then again, we all know how I can be. HSD was only supposed to be 15 Chapters at the most. Same with Something Wicked… **

**I will try not to let this one develop into an epic :)**

**Quick notes: The "Little Critter" books are ones I remember from my childhood. I have no idea if they are still published, but I like to imagine that they are. Also, the whole putting manners in the garbage conversation is one I actually had with a kid I was nannying at the time. She was dead serious that her manners had been put in the "bargage" as she put it. And that apparently gave her free reign to be as ill-behaved as she liked. You have no idea how hard it was to discipline her when all I wanted to do was laugh and high-five her for her creativity!**

**Please leave a review if you'd like to share your thoughts. As always, all are welcome!**

**Cheers,**

***rhymes***


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Oh snap; I am on a roll! That's two stories updated today! **

**Huge thanks to you readers who came back for chapter 2 of this story! Special kudos to _MesserFamilyFan100, dannyandlindsayforeva, laurzz, mckenzie, webdlfan, dannylindsayfan_ and _LoveShipper_ for your reviews. I'm glad you're enjoying this total shameless fluff-fest. ;)**

**So this chapter practically wrote itself. I sat down and was staring at a blank word document and suddenly, it was like Boom! Chapter done. I don't know. It's strange how that happens sometimes. Or maybe it's just me and I'm absolutely bonkers. **

**Anyway, I don't want to ramble on here forever. I'll leave you in peace to enjoy this next update.**

* * *

Danny stirred, opening his eyes and blinking wearily at the glowing digital numbers staring back at him from his bedside table. He rolled onto his back, rubbing his eyes sleepily before letting out a sigh. _5:53_. He still had seven minutes before he had to get out of bed. So why was he awake?

He strained his ears, listening hard. All he could hear was the rumble of a garbage truck somewhere up the street and the crash of trash cans being flung back to the curb after their contents had been emptied. Letting out a deep sigh, he turned to glance at his slumbering wife. Reaching out, he gently brushed her bangs from her forehead before touching a finger to the tip of her nose. As she always did, she scrunched up her nose and Danny chuckled softly as she grumbled in her sleep and burrowed her face in the blanket.

He closed his eyes again, hoping to take advantage of those last few precious moments of sleep. He was just drifting off when he heard the sound of little feet in the hallway, followed by the creak of the bedroom door. The mattress dipped slightly at the foot of the bed and the blankets shifted as a tiny figure began to crawl up the bed between he and Lindsay. The crawling stopped and he could feel eyes on him. Slowly, he cracked one eyelid, then the other, stifling a chuckle as Lucy's eager little face peered down at him.

"Is it time for school yet, Daddy?" she whispered loudly.

"Not yet, honey," Danny croaked, his voice still thick from sleep. "It's still early."

"Oh." Lucy's face fell. "How many more minutes?"

Danny scrubbed his hands over his face, turning to glance at his alarm clock. _5:59_. "Um… about a hundred and twenty," he mumbled.

Lucy looked thoughtfully at the clock, her little brows creased in a concentrated frown. "Is that a lot?"

"Yeah, baby. It's a lot," Danny replied. His eyes had just begun to droop again when the quiet of the morning was broken by the blaring of his alarm. He punched it quickly, hoping that the sound hadn't disturbed his wife, but he really needn't have worried. It always amazed him just how soundly she slept and he was relieved to see her still peacefully dreaming, her eyelids gently fluttering.

He pushed himself up on his elbows, regarding his daughter with eyes still bleary with sleep. "Are you… did you get dressed all by yourself?"

"Yup!" Lucy chirped, nodding her head proudly. Danny raised his eyebrows at her interesting choice of clothing. It appeared that she hadn't been able to decide what to wear, so had chosen instead to wear… well, pretty much everything.

"Um… wow. That's…" He paused, his foggy mind trying to come up with some way to get his point across without hurting her feelings. "I think you might be a little warm if you wear that all day, sweetie." He sat up, running his hands through his hair before pulling Lucy onto his lap. "How 'bout you and me get up and pick out something that you'll be more comfortable in, okay? How's that sound?"

"Okay!" Lucy exclaimed, causing Danny to cringe and glance at his wife. He held up one finger over his lips as a gentle reminder for Lucy to keep her voice down and the little girl giggled. "Okay," she whispered. She hopped off the bed, her feet thudding loudly on the hard wood floor as she ran out the door and down the hallway. "Come on, Daddy!"

Danny sighed and rolled his eyes. As he lifted the covers off himself, he heard Lindsay beginning to stir and he glanced her way. She flung her arm over her eyes, guarding against the early morning light. "What time is it?" she mumbled.

"Early," Danny said, leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "Go back to sleep."

"No, no," Lindsay mumbled, raising her arms over her head and letting out a contented sigh as she stretched. "I'll get up. Gotta get Lucy ready for school."

Danny chuckled. "Hate to break it to ya, Linds. But she's already halfway there."

Lindsay smiled tiredly. "I think she's a little excited."

"And I think that's the understatement of the century," Danny replied dryly. He pushed himself up out of bed, stuffing his feet into his slippers and grabbing his housecoat. "Take your time, honey. I got it handled for now. I gotta be up anyway."

As he knotted the ties of his housecoat around his waist, Danny smiled. Lindsay had already fallen back to sleep.

"Daddy!" an impatient voice bellowed from down the hall.

"Yeah, yeah. Hold your horses. I'm comin'," he muttered to himself, shuffling slowly out of the room and closing the door behind him.

* * *

"Here ya go, babe."

Lindsay smiled up at Danny as he set a steaming cup of fresh coffee down on the table in front of her.

"Thank you," she said, turning her attention back to Lucy who was sitting on the living room floor with her bright pink princess backpack on her lap, happily packing her things for school. She had already packed it twice the night before, but had dumped out the contents this morning and was repacking it once again.

"And you go here. And then you…" she chattered to herself, stuffing her little case full of crayons into her bag, followed by her colouring book and the little sweater Danny had insisted that she take with her in case she got cold. "Mommy?"

"Yeah, honey?"

"Can I take my bear?"

"Oh, I don't think so, Luce," Lindsay replied. "Not on your first day, okay?"

Lucy's lower lip jutted out. "But I want him to meet my new friends," she protested.

"Well, I'm sure he would love to meet your new friends," Lindsay agreed. "But maybe another day. We wouldn't want him to get lost or accidentally go home with someone else, would we? Think of how sad he'd be without you!"

Lucy looked thoughtfully at her threadbare and careworn toy, gently fondling his tattered ear between her fingers. "Okay," she said eventually. "But can he come in the car with us?"

Lindsay nodded. "I think that would be a great idea," she said. "Then he'll be waiting for you after school when Daddy comes to pick you up!"

Lucy grinned at her, hugging her bear tightly before setting him on the coffee table and resuming her packing.

Lindsay sighed, raising her coffee to her lips and taking sip, hoping that Lucy wouldn't notice the slight shake of her hands. That bear went everywhere with Lucy – he had almost since the day she was born. And the thought of her spending the day without him… well it was just another reminder of how quickly her little girl was growing up.

Gentle fingers sifted through her hair and she looked up to see Danny standing beside her, his expression mirroring her own internal turmoil. "You gonna be alright?" he asked. "Because if you need me… I'll call Mac and tell him I'm gonna be late. You and Luce are more important."

Smiling her thanks, Lindsay shook her head. "No… we'll be fine," she said, her voice sounding much more confident than she felt. "It's just… it's early. I'm not ready to deal with this just yet. Gimme a little more coffee and I'll be fine."

"If you're sure…" Danny said. She nodded again and he bent to press a kiss to her forehead. "Alright then. I gotta go."

She watched him cross into the living room to crouch down beside Lucy, running a gentle hand down her back and kissing the crown of her head. "Hey, Luce. Daddy's gotta go to work now," he said.

"No!" Lucy cried, scrambling to her feet and wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. "No, Daddy. You're coming with me and Mommy!"

"Lucy, come on," Danny sighed. "We talked about this. You and me had our special time together the other day. And today, you and Mommy get to have a special morning together, remember?"

"But I want to show you my school," she protested.

"And you will, honey," Danny said, pulling back and cupping her little cheeks in his palms. "You can show me all that cool stuff when I come get you after school, okay? And you get to show Mommy this morning!"

"You'll bring my bear?" Lucy asked warily.

"I promise," Danny replied. "Me and ol' Ted will be there to pick you up at three o'clock."

"Okay," Lucy relented.

"That's my girl," Danny said, hugging her tightly before letting go. He kissed her little button nose before getting to his feet. Lucy grabbed her bear by the ear and came into the kitchen, crawling onto Lindsay's lap and resting her head against her shoulder as Danny gathered his things for work. He kissed both of them quickly before turning and heading for the door. "Love you guys," he said, taking one last look at his girls and giving them both a wave. "See ya later."

Lindsay waited until she heard the door close behind him and the deadbolt slide into place. She smiled down at Lucy. "How about some breakfast?" she asked, rubbing her nose against her daughter's. "What does a big girl who's going to school today want for breakfast?"

"Coffee!" Lucy giggled.

"Um… no," Lindsay laughed, shaking her head. "You're a big girl, but definitely not old enough for coffee yet. Try again!"

"Waffles!"

Lindsay smiled. "That's more like it," she said. She pressed a kiss to Lucy's cheek before standing and settling Lucy down on the special booster seat at the breakfast bar where she liked to "help" when either Lindsay or Danny was cooking. "One order of Kindergarten waffles, coming up!"

"Kindergarten waffles?" Lucy asked, her blue eyes wide with wonder.

"Oh, haven't you heard of those?" Lindsay asked casually, getting out the ingredients. "I guess not, since you're only allowed to have them if you're in Kindergarten."

"I'm in Kindergarten! I'm in Kindergarten!" Lucy shouted, bouncing excitedly in her seat.

"Are you? Really?" Lindsay asked. "Well, that's a good thing, because if you aren't in Kindergarten and you eat Kindergarten waffles… do you know what happens?"

Lucy shook her head. "What happens, Mommy?"

"The tickle monster gets you!" Lindsay crowed, reaching across the counter to poke Lucy's belly.

"But that monster won't get me, Mommy!" Lucy declared with a giggle. "Silly monster! I'm in Kindergarten!"

Lindsay straightened up and shook her head. "You're right, he can't get you, Lucy," she agreed. She turned to get the waffle iron from the cupboard, surreptitiously wiping at her eyes before affixing the smile back on her face. "Now, do you want to break the eggs, or do you want to stir?"

"Eggs!" Lucy declared.

"Okay. Here you go." Lindsay handed Lucy two eggs and a small bowl. "Remember… no shells, please."

A genuine smile spread across her face as she watched Lucy, her little tongue poking from between her lips as she concentrated on her task. She remembered back to the first time she had allowed Lucy to break the eggs for a baking project. Bits of shell and globs of egg yoke had ended all over the counter, the floor… everywhere but in the bowl.

"See, Mommy? Look at how good I did it!"

"Oh my goodness!" Lindsay gushed. "I'm so impressed!"

Lucy's proud smile warmed her heart and Lindsay began to assemble the rest of the ingredients, mixing them together then pouring the batter onto the sizzling waffle iron.

"Mommy?"

"Yes, sweetie?"

"What's special about Kindergarten waffles?"

"Well, with Kindergarten waffles, you get to have whipped cream on top," Lindsay said, pulling a small carton of whipping cream from the fridge. Normally, she wouldn't condone that much sugar – especially so early in the morning – for her daughter. But today was special, so she was temporarily throwing her rules out the window.

Lucy's eyes went wide. "_And_ syrup?"

"And syrup," Lindsay nodded.

"And candy?"

Lindsay snorted. "Nice try, kiddo," she laughed. "You don't think that syrup and whipped cream is special enough?'

"Daddy would give me candy," Lucy said slyly.

"He would not," Lindsay said, giving her daughter a pointed stare. "But you can have strawberries if you'd like."

"M'kay," Lucy agreed. She placed her elbows on the counter, cupping her chin in her little hands, her eyes fixed on the steaming waffle iron. "Mommy?"

"Yes, honey?" Lindsay asked as she began to whisk the cream into frothy peaks.

"I like special time with you."

A lump began to form in the back of Lindsay's throat. She coughed in an attempt to clear it. "I like special time with you too," she managed to choke out.

"Mommy?"

"Yes?"

"You can have some of my Kindergarten waffles if you want," Lucy offered.

"Oh, I can?" Lindsay asked.

"Uh huh. 'Cause you get to come with me to school."

"Well thank you for sharing, Lucy," Lindsay smiled, setting down her bowl of cream and lifting the lid of the iron. The waffles were the perfect golden brown. "Mmm… smell good, don't they?"

Lucy nodded her head and waited not-so-patiently while Lindsay placed a waffle on her plate, adding a small amount of syrup before topping it with a spoonful of whipped cream and a few sliced strawberries.

"There you go, honey," Lindsay said, setting the plate in front of her daughter who was now squirming with anticipation.

"Fang-yoo!" Lucy said, her mouth full of waffle. Lindsay raised her eyebrows and cleared her throat. Sheepishly, Lucy finished chewing and swallowing. "Thank you," she repeated.

"You're welcome." Lindsay kissed the top of her head before sitting down next to her daughter and digging into her own breakfast. "Now, when we're done, you go brush your teeth and finish packing your bag, and I'll get dressed. And then we'll go."

She watched as Lucy scarfed down her waffle, silently wishing that she could somehow make time slow down and breakfast last just a little longer. But before she knew it, Lucy had pushed her empty plate away, gazing hopefully up at her mother.

Lindsay sighed, helping Lucy down from her seat and watching as she scampered across the living room singing a happy little tune to her bear. She smiled to herself. Yes, Lucy was growing up, but she was definitely still her little girl.

"Mommy, hurry _up_!" Lucy bellowed from down the hall.

"Okay, okay! I'm coming!" Grabbing Lucy's lunchbox from the fridge, Lindsay set it on the table by the front door, then meandered down the hall to prepare herself for the day to come.

* * *

**I always get comments that I don't do Lucy/Lindsay together enough. I don't know… I try to give both parents equal time in my stories, but maybe it doesn't always come across that way. So here I really wanted to focus on the special bond between Lindsay and Lucy and capture a few sweet moments between them. I hope you had as much fun reading as I did writing it. ;)**

***rhymes***


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